4 Tips Pokémon Go Masters Wish They'd Known Earlier

Pokemon Go player on the street
Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist

In light of Niantic's baffling decision to not include any real instructions with Pokémon Go, players have basically been learning the rules on the fly -- which, in a game you can only play by walking around, isn't the best.

All is not lost, though: thanks to an enterprising soul who's advanced far in the game (and another who hacked it open and mined its precious data secrets), some of Pokémon Go's more obtuse & unspoken strategies have been laid bare. Here are four insider tips you'll definitely want to take advantage of ASAP, before you waste any more of your precious Stardust.
 

Maximize the space in your backpack

Constantly running out of room for new items? According to Kolrich, the key is making sure you never have more than 60 total potions and 40 revives at any given time; you won't ever need more than that, and it leaves the rest of your bag open for all-important Pokeballs. We do disagree on the razzberries point, though.
 

Time your attacks wisely

According to the data provided by Redditor alancaesar, the Pokémon you face at a Gym will attack every 1.5 seconds -- without fail. Use this information to nail the timing of your dodges, and you'll have a leg up every time you battle.
 

Keep those attacks basic

Due to the aforementioned timing, the bulk of your attacks should be basic; tap like crazy, get your dodge timing down, and you won't need those special attacks until you've already established a firm lead in the battle.
 

Don't power up your Pokémon

That's right: until you're level 20, you really shouldn't be powering up any of your Pokémon. Like, at all. As Kolrich explains, players will continue to encounter more powerful Pokémon as they level up -- meaning that once you find a 300cp Squirtle, that 100cp Squirtle you powered up becomes obsolete. In reality, the smart move is to hoard your stardust until you reach a sufficiently high level before blasting them with angeldust. Sorry, stardust.
 

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Gianni Jaccoma is an editor at Thrillist. He once saw an Aerodactyl in Astoria, but his app froze because God is dead. Follow his wild hunt on Twitter @gjaccoma.